Left returns to power in Tripura for 5th consecutive time; Congress retains Meghalaya

Feb 28, 2013, 08.14PM ISTPTI

Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar is greeted after CPM led front's win in the assembly elections in Agartala on Thursday.

AGARTALA: The Left Front in Tripura today retained power for the fifth consecutive time since 1993 with the coalition securing a three-fourths majority by winning 50 of the 60 Assembly seats.

While CPM, which contested in 55 seats, secured win in 49 seats, coalition partner CPI won one seat of the two it had contested. However, RSP which fought in two seats and Forward Bloc in one, failed to open their accounts.

The Left Front also increased its tally from 49 seats in 2008 and 42 seats in 2003, paving the way for the seventh Left Front government since 1978 in the Northeast state.

The Congress managed to retain 10 seats of the 48 in which it had contested, while allies Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura and National Conference of Tripura were unable to win a single seat. The INPT and the NCT had contested in 10 and one seats, respectively.

All ministers of the outgoing ministry except science and technology minister Joy Gobinda Debroy of RSP were re-elected.

Chief minister Manik Sarkar won from the Dhanpur constituency where he defeated his nearest rival -- Congress' Shah Alam -- by 6,017 votes. Sarkar had won by 4,000 votes in the last Assembly elections.

Finance minister Badal Chowdhury made electoral history by defeating his nearest rival, a Congress candidate, by 12,429 votes in the Hrishyamukh constituency.

Among Congress winners were Leader of the Opposition Ratan Lal Nath (Mohanpur constituency) and TPCC President Sudip Roy Burman (Agartala).

INPT president Bijoy Hrankhawl (Ambassa) and former TPCC president Surajit Dutta (Ramnagar) were among prominent candidates who lost in electoral battle.

CPM state party secretary Bijan Dhar said: "It is a victory of the people of the state, and a victory of peace and development and good governance of the sixth Left Front government."

Leader of the opposition Ratan Lal Nath said, "We accept defeat and will review the causes for it.

Nagaland for NPF and Congress wins Meghalaya

The Left Front stormed back to power in Tripura and the Naga People's Front (NPF) in Nagaland, while the Congress, which fared poorly in both states, emerged as the single largest party in Meghalaya with two seats short of absolute majority in the assembly election results declared today.

The three outgoing chief ministers of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, Manik Sarkar, Neiphu Rio and Mukul Sangma respectively were victorious.

The Left Front, which has won for the fifth consecutive term in Tripura, secured a three fourths majority with 50 of the 60 seats, with major partner CPM itself securing 49.

In Nagaland, NPF swept back to power for the third consecutive time winning absolute majority securing 38 of the 59 seats. Election in one seat was countermanded following the death of a candidate.

Congress could win only 10 of the 48 seats it contested in Tripura while it could manage to win only eight seats compared to the 18 it clinched last time in Nagaland.

In Meghalaya, the Congress bagged 29 of the 60 seats, falling two short of an absolute majority.

But the Congress improved its tally by securing four more than its tally in 2008.

The results were a shot in the arm of Congress chief minister Mukul Sangma who faced stiff opposition from old warhorse P A Sangma whose National People's Party managed to win just two seats.

In Tripura, the Left Front increased its tally from 49 seats in 2008 and 42 seats in 2003 paving the way for the installation of the seventh Left Front government since 1967.

Congress allies INPT and National Conference of Tripura, which had virtually revolted over allocation of seats before being pacified, drew a blank.

All ministers of the outgoing ministry except Science and Technology minister Joy Gobinda Debroy of RSP were re-elected.

Finance minister Badal Chowdhury made electoral history by defeating his nearest Congress rival by 12,429 votes in the Hrishyamukh constituency.